5 degrees by Twisted feet - dance about global warming that needs more things in between its big innovative dances

Twisted feet is a Gothenburg based dance company that had their premier of their latest production "5 degrees" this Thursday, which I attended. Since I have seen many of the dance company Bounce's shows I had really high expectations to "5 degrees", especially since it aspired to build bridges between dance and global warming.

During the indtroduction speeches at the bar upstarirs many of them praised the face that this was a bigger project that included school shows and even an app for education about global warming, as well as this dance show.

I think that it is indeed a brave subject to take on for a dance show, and it is explained in the show when a boy finds a rubrics cube from the future that talk about global warming. The rubics cube is talking with a prerecorded voice, and answered with big movements from the dancer. For each degree there are some dances and also a set location that sets the mood of the dance.

The dances are very innovative in my eyes with position of the dancers, rythm and patterns. There was a lot of energy in the dances and the timing with changes of which part that will be in the spotlight are very good. The dances are very different from each "degree" (and location) and adds variety. All the dances are big group dances with all the dancers on stage.

The show uses a lot of technical help in innovative and new ways, from the voice and rubrics cube to let the audience be underwater with the help of blue lasers.

Twisted feet's "5 degrees". Picture borrowed from fotoscenen.se

"5 degrees" aims very high, but I think that the theme is overly explained in the show. The pace is too slow when the boy is talking to the rubrics cube, and I would have wished for more dance in between the big dance acts, both to give the show more dance and less words and to add even more variation, maybe with some duos or solos? Now there are to sharp edges that makes too sharp contrasts and not enough with dynamics. The big dance numbers could have stand out even more with some company from other dances around them.

The scenography with book shelves and wallpapers doesn't bring much to the show, but it takes time to move them out from the stages. I think the show could have done as good without them.

The lack of pace with the talking parts seems even longer since it was not clear to me who these parts where aimed at. Since it was in English, children younger than maybe 13 would have had difficulties to understand the information, and anyone old enough to understand English know at least this basic things about global warming that the voice were telling us.

Because of this, my favourite parts was in a windy mood, with two dancers that looked like the where caught by the wind. The mood was enhanced with hanging fabrics to create the feeling of being up in the sky.

I think it was too much talking an not as much dancing, with some lack of dynamics. The big dances with all the dancers were very good and innovative, but needs to be accompanied with better things in between.

Twisted feet's "5 degrees"

Choreography and directions: Twisted feet
Script: Christoer Brocker and Twisted feet
Clothes: Majli af Ekman
Scenography: Torulf Wetterot
Dancers: Mona Namer, Marco Whilborg, Johnny Nguten, Marcel Gomes, Denny Hultén, Anna Näsström, Pawel Pablo Krupa, Daniel Koivunen, Mia Hellberg and Felix Iljeh.

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